Kurokami Hotaru
An independent Magus and member of class 2-A, she joined Starlight Academy last year after having spent most of her life self-schooling, since she was effectively the guardian of her two younger siblings. With unfortunate circumstances having taken their lives away in a short time, one often wonders how she manages to be the perhaps elusive, but still so kind girl she is... or is that really the case? More than often, everyone put on a mask to live in front of others, for they wish not to reveal what lurks below the murky waters. Hotaru is in fact an extremely sour individual, as one would realize quickly if they read her thoughts and realized the philosophy which she follows; the image that she puts up in front of everyone, perhaps even herself, has managed to have her appear as something else to all those that have frequented her so far... Appearance With a refined visage that possesses a fairly pale skin, silky jet black hair and almond-shaped azure eyes, Hotaru is recognized as one of Starlight Academy’s most beautiful youth, although she’s a lot less talked about compared to other idols / famous figures since she’s so reclusive and melancholic. Her slim figure when mentioned though is often praised for being ‘just right’ and being the perfect example of ‘moderation in all things’.' ' ' When not in Starlight Academy’s uniform, Hotaru will often dress up in a fairly casual black and white outfit consisting of a white formal shirt over which she wears a black sweater and a navy blue blazer. Her lower outfit is features white short shorts, white knee-highs and slim black shoes. This is her most common outfit, and while it isn’t particularly flashy or as risque as others, it tends to attract attention because of how well it meshes with Hotaru’s figure. Hotaru takes an entirely different appearance when she summons her Magical Weapon though, with her eyes shifting from the dreamy and innocent azure to a piercing, glowing red. Her hair takes a dark lavender shade, and her skin becomes as white as snow. A charming undead, a beautiful vampire, a fair demon -- when she has summoned her Magical Weapon, Hotaru goes from having a sublime human body to an otherworldly, but still gorgeous supernatural frame. The very concept that she uses as the base of her magic swarms her surroundings as an ominous aura, making her very presence sufficient to instill eeriness in the air. The visual cue that ‘this isn’t someone very friendly’ becomes most evident with her black stylized frilled hat, elegant black frilled gown, and black high-heel boots. The outfit is reminiscent of the victorian-era fashion, but of course, the clothes are stylized in a much more flamboyantly dark design. Personality “''Are you really sure that whatever you’re doing right now, or even, whatever you’ve done in your life… are you really sure that this has all served a purpose? When you sit back enough, you’ll eventually understand that no matter what a human tries or achieves, it barely matters in the long run. Pessimist, am I not?” Hotaru’s personality usually strikes people as very kind and gentle; everyone that approaches her for a conversation, or even for a favour, seems to be welcomed with a radiant smile and polite words worthy of a refined noble lady. Yet there is something that is clearly off with her character, for she seems ever so distant from those that try to talk to her, even having traits of self-loathing and self-depreciation that none really can understand. People that have tried to become close friends(they all failed) or those that’ve sought information on the source of her strange behaviour suspect that this might be because of a tragic past… and they aren’t that far from the mark. But there is something much more important that remains unknown to Hotaru’s classmates in Starlight Academy: they do not know that the kind and gentle Hotaru they talk to at school is nothing more than a shell, a remnant of the happiness once given to Hotaru by her two siblings who are now deceased. Her heart, the core of her existence has been slowly eaten away by the concept known as ‘pointlessness’, mirroring her true outview on the world. '[ More info remaining to be discovered ]' Social Links 'Chisana Risu :'' 3 The new transfer student which chose to get seated behind Hotaru, the two have developed an interesting relationship where Hotaru happens to be more open and unusually more outwardly kind to Risu than anyone else -- that might be due to the fact that Risu has in more than one way a resemblance to Hotaru's departed sister. They both went to eat out together at one point, and Hotaru revealed to Risu that she "was once an onee-san." Maki Ayase :'' 2'' Hotaru had lunch with her at Starlight's Cafeteria and the two of them had a few conversations over various rumours that went around the school. Ozawa Aneko: ''2'' Hotaru had lunch with her at Starlight's Cafeteria and the two of them had a few conversations over various rumours that went around the school. Koyanagi Ren: ''2'' Hotaru had lunch with her at Starlight's Cafeteria and the two of them had a few conversations over various rumours that went around the school. Shinzou Kamui: 1 Kamui tasked her with overseeing the well-being of new transfer students, as well as investigating rumours concerning disappearances. Gallery Background Little is known about Hotaru save that her parents died in an accident, leaving her to take care of her two siblings by herself. She worked hard to be a good enough 'mother' to them, but fate wasn't so kind to her and took them away... She's been enrolled in Starlight Academy for a year now, and is quite famous amidst the students for her elusive, yet so kind disposition towards others. [ More info remaining to be discovered ] Powers and Abilities Hotaru’s combat style is rather unique in that she has no proper combat style of her own. Perhaps a dash of Tessenjutsu and fine marksmanship since her Magical Weapon manifests as a fan and a large firearm, but ultimately, the way Hotaru does battle is far from being similar to any ‘conventional’ combatant. She hasn't partaken in direct combat yet, so not too much is known about her abilities, save for the fact that most of her Runes seem to hover around the concept of futility.